The varied peoples of Middle-earth at times found unity in their pursuits, and all too often experienced deep rifts. Engage in lively conversations as we banter about the differences between the Alliances, and recruit for our People as well. Remember, keep it friendly.

Well, I've been extremely lazy (so what else is new), but I keep bumping into that bag of yarn a friend gave me a couple years ago. There's a pair of needles in it too. I think my STUFF is trying to tell me something...

I made a friend of mine a "Christmas Apron" yesterday. I promised it to her last year, so I figured I better get it done. It's one of those that has a little hand towel sewn onto the front . . . but I just realized I didn't put a pocket on it . . .

Scribbles, thanks! And those ornaments are really adorable - I can imagine it was fun assembling them over a nice cuppa and some cake or so.

What are those snowflakes made of - and how are they made? They look quite impressive.

And that cross-stitch pattern is just perfect for a friend with a chicken-themed lunch place. It looks like it's quite a lot of stitches, but not so many colours, so if you just keep at it, it should be quick work.

heliona, thanks, it's lovely you put them up on your tree.

Yes, two went to heliona, one to my friend in Vienna and just one went to our tree, but it's not the only one there. Biscuits definitely count. (I have a piccie of some of my baking this year that I like - should get it from the camera and on to flickr sometime. )

Morwenna, thanks! And, yep, I think that yarn might be yearning to be used (ouch, bad pun alert ).

I've been very tempted to do some knitting recently, too - it's just the season for it. And I have a lot of yarn waiting to be used, too. It's just that knitted stuff takes up so much more room than most everything else you make.

Also, if I make a sweater, size is a problem - I tend to make everything too large because I'm terrified it'll turn out too small... (I bought wool to make an Aran sweater a couple of years ago...haven't started yet. My excuse is that I need to find a pattern that's certified Aran...(I actually have quite a few Aran-style patterns I could use, and from what I read there's no such thing as 'original' Aran style.) )

So I mostly just make scarves - I use an easy, cosy looking (to my mind) pattern, and they are fun making, but I already have four of them now, so I really shouldn't make more. Anyone in dire need of a knitted scarf, maybe...?

truehobbit wrote:I've been very tempted to do some knitting recently, too - it's just the season for it. And I have a lot of yarn waiting to be used, too. It's just that knitted stuff takes up so much more room than most everything else you make.

So I mostly just make scarves - I use an easy, cosy looking (to my mind) pattern, and they are fun making, but I already have four of them now, so I really shouldn't make more. Anyone in dire need of a knitted scarf, maybe...?

Not around here. I've already supplied almost everyone I know with a knitted scarf, since that's all I can make.

PatriotBlade wrote:Not around here. I've already supplied almost everyone I know with a knitted scarf, since that's all I can make.

I'm exactly the same. I need to finish a scarf I've nearly got to the end of (this time it is for myself) and then I'm (in theory!) starting on a more ambitious project: a hat! I have the round needles and some gorgeous yarn, I just need to drag up the courage to start it (because I know I'm going to be stopping and starting quite a lot before I get it right!).

Hobby, I completely forgot to take photos of the stars on our tree. And the tree is now outside, waiting to be recycled. Oh well, until next year.

<-- Celebrating Science in the TVM!

Life is short; break the rules, forgive quickly; kiss slowly; love truly; laugh uncontrollably; and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for the might-have-beens. - Arthur Ransome

Just because I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor doesn't mean I'm not a lady.

Scribbles - for a second I thought of that, but then I couldn't imagine how that would be possible.

PB, then you're more courageous than I am. I may give a little cross-stitched book-mark or so to a friend, but major stuff like hand-knitted-scarves I would be embarrassed to give to someone who's just a friend.

As it has recently been mentioned that cookies and things count as 'things we make' here are some pics of things I made...

And Hobby, kniiting scarves is easy-peasy. I'd say they're probably the easiest thing to do. The ones I've knitted for my friends have all been plain knit stitch, but I branched out and the one I did for myself is knit 2, purl 2. It makes a nice ribbed pattern.

<-- Celebrating Science in the TVM!

Life is short; break the rules, forgive quickly; kiss slowly; love truly; laugh uncontrollably; and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for the might-have-beens. - Arthur Ransome

Just because I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor doesn't mean I'm not a lady.

I know. I'm a pretty decent knitter, and as I said I made as many scarves for myself as I can possibly wear. I've also given hand-knitted scarves and sweaters to my family. I just don't have the nerve to give something like that to 'just' friends. Christmas ornaments - yes; candy - yes: needlework bookmarks - yes - but actual hand-made clothing? I don't know, that feels like an up close and personal thing to give, so I'd only gift that if I was sure the recipient was comfortable with it.

I think I can see where you're coming from, in that you may not pick a colour they like etc. The only ones I've made are for close friends that I know very well (although it turned out that one of them was allergic to the wool I used, so she can only wear the scarf over the top of turtle-necks. But she did like it!).

I will take a photo once I've properly finished it.

<-- Celebrating Science in the TVM!

Life is short; break the rules, forgive quickly; kiss slowly; love truly; laugh uncontrollably; and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for the might-have-beens. - Arthur Ransome

Just because I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor doesn't mean I'm not a lady.

The only project I'm taking on right now is shoveling out this apartment. We did the Christmas-baking thing but I reserve that for the Cooking Guild or the foodie chat thread.

And I REALLY have to find and figure out that camera! That ought to be my next project--learning how to use a digital camera along with my computer! Have you any idea how many people out there are still waiting to see pix of our cats, and I have NO kitten pix of Mackie, who's now 2, and no adult pix of Oreo, who's getting older by the second? Never mind the felt wise men I made back in 1971 and still drag out during the holidays.

Here are two, although they are not of anything I've mentioned before, I don't think!

They are of a bag that I painted at an unusual hen party. We went to a craft place where we could pick all manner of things to paint, from wooden bracelets, to bird boxes, coasters, and a canvas bag. I chose the bag, because I thought it would be something I'd actually use.

It wasn't actually that difficult. Of course, the flowery side was pretty much all stencils and stamps. The blue and yellow bits at the bottom are actually life-rings, but I didn't realise that until I'd painted them, so I had to add in bits to make them into flowers.

As for the Tree of Gondor, I penciled it out first, so although it was done free-hand, I had some guide.

<-- Celebrating Science in the TVM!

Life is short; break the rules, forgive quickly; kiss slowly; love truly; laugh uncontrollably; and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for the might-have-beens. - Arthur Ransome

Just because I have the vocabulary of a well-educated sailor doesn't mean I'm not a lady.

I reeeeally need to get some more knitting needles!!! Now that I've gone online and found the whole afghan book that has the pattern I used to make 2 gifts back in the dark ages... Now I haunt the craft stores and ogle all the yarn, and now I've found a brand that has a group of colors that'd be just perfect for my living room...

I don't know if anyone else is the same, but I find that most of my "craft" type projects get done during the cold months, LOL. In spring, summer and fall, the garden and yard take up so much spare time that I hardly touch any of my craft projects.

I looked at the last date I had marked down on my Fords of Isen cross stitch project, and it was a year ago October!! So now that winter has officially arrived in my part of The Great White North, I guess it's time to pick up where I left off.

Which, when it comes to that Celestial Dragon . . . means about an hour to figure out exactly where I really am . . .

Scribbles, I'm exactly the same. I don't do anything particularly creative during the summer. The same thing goes for my baking - I only start doing it when it gets chilly. It's a sort of build up to Christmas.

Oh gosh, I suppose I should dig out my knitting. Every year I do the same thing and I end up having to remember how to knit. Seeing as my project for this winter is a hat, which therefore involves knitting on the round, something I have never done before, I may have my work cut out for me.

I have also seen them called "Moravian" or "German" stars. I love them. I have to be very careful following the directions or they turn out wrong. But even then, they make very nice package toppers.

Bass Pro Shops advertized a crafting area for kids and briefly showed a reindeer, made out of craft sticks. I had all the parts, so I tried it. It came out well and was extremely easy, so I hope to see if my g-children want to make some, when I visit.

Crafters may be interested in a board I've been visiting for several years. It is on HGTV.com, under "message Board" and "Crafts. The most fun and interesting crafts and people are on "Holiday Crafts"

Now I'm studying the afghan patterns I've got that aren't too confusing to read through, and trying to decide which one would look best with the 3 colors I've chosen in my mind for that living room afghan. The one that's in there now, which my mother made for me a zillion years ago, I discovered is too small to be a really good wrap in the chilly weather; lap robe yes, blanket no. And our other afghans (from both our mothers) just don't go with the color scheme (not that hubby cares, but I do). The next closest one in color is even smaller than the one that's there now.

The room has a rug that's dark red with black and tan, the leather chair is dark green, and the couch is sort of a gray-green, so the color scheme can't really be my beloved blue & purple; that's for the bedroom! The yarns I have my eye on are burgundy, dark green, and beige. The one in there now is dark orange (which at least matches the old ottoman), gold, and greenish-brown; it looks OK, and I'll probably keep it displayed there for part of the year. But I know I can do better.

I'm sure your new afghan will be just grand Morwenna, will you post piccies as you progress?

I've been busy making bows for our tree this year. We're going to go very simple for a change, and I found three matching spools of gorgeous wired ribbon at Michaels last week. The material is sheer gold with red and green designs, one roll is poinsettas, one is holly and the other is christmas trees.

Believe it or not, I've never tried posting a pic anywhere... I don't even know how to use my digital camera, much less how to upload or download anything. I've never even taken a picture of my cats, since I took some kitten pix of Oreo with a borrowed disposable camera 10 years ago!

Ah, that's too bad. Digital cameras are really easy to use (though I'm a crap photographer even with a good one, LOL) and uploading is as easy as plugging one end of a usb cable into the camera and the other into your computer and voila! You can copy the pics to your computer (into a folder you create on your hard drive) or upload them directly to a site like Photobucket, which is free.

But I understand there's some folks who just don't "do" digital photo sharing and that's okay too. (My own mom can't be convinced to even own a computer, much less a digital camera LOLOL!)

I (finally!) finished all the new bows so we decorated our tree on Friday evening . . . We decided to go very simple for this year, so in addition to the new bows I used some large and small red ones that we already had. Along with our Phillipine Straw Angels I think it all came together rather well. I think it needs just a few gold icicles to give a bit of shimmer, but I need to pick some up. All I have is silver for some reason . . . LOL.

Here's a picture of it after I found some long gold icicles to add . . . it gives the tree a wee bit of glitter. The icicles are quite amazing too, in the sunlight they give off all the colours of the rainbow . . . but I'm a crap photographer so that feature never really shows up in the pics, LOL.

With this Christmas I got our niece Lori some stamps and stamp pads so I am going to teach her how to make her own stationary and cards. So I have decided to get back into it myself.

With this move we are setting up a library/music room and I have convinced Ryan that I will need a small table there too for doing my own cards and having that stuff set up so that I can easily get to it. I am actually kind of excited to get back into it and have it available and easy to use.

Spring come quickly!!~*Sister of the Twilight*~~*Daughter of the Moon*~